Meet Our 2026 Scholars: Shanna Linton

With a career at British Airways behind her, Shanna has begun her Helping Dreams Take Flight gliding scholarship at Booker.

How it started

Shanna, from London, has spent most of her career in aviation at British Airways, starting in customer-facing and safety-critical roles and moving through coaching, training and HR. Throughout, she has been surrounded by pilots whose professionalism and commitment to safety shaped her understanding of what it means to fly responsibly, and meeting female pilots of all ages has been a real source of inspiration.

"With discipline, preparation, and the right support, it is possible to pursue flying at any stage of life." – Shanna

Opening doors for others

Today Shanna is a Pilot Recruitment Executive, leading outreach that inspires future pilots aged 14 to 55, delivering presentations and building partnerships that widen access to aviation careers. She is passionate about helping people recognise their own potential.

She has also sought mentoring from pilot colleagues to build her understanding of flying, safety and human performance.

Her scholarship – training underway

Shanna sees gliding as the purest introduction to flight and the perfect foundation for powered flying. She has begun her scholarship at Booker Gliding Club and completed her first lesson. We visited her at Booker at the start of her training, and we're really looking forward to following her progress.

What's next

Shanna's long-term goal is to become a commercial pilot as a mature cadet, progressing from gliding to her PPL and then commercial training. She plans to share her journey openly to show others who think flying is out of reach that it can be done.

Every one of our 2026 scholarships was made possible by the generosity of our supporters, including SkyDemon. Thank you for helping dreams take flight.